Chapter 1: Time Dilation

[Opening Teaser]

Kirk said, "Scotty, what's the status of the Stu Drive?"

Scotty exclaimed, "Captain! You can't be thinking of engaging the Stu Drive!"

Kirk said, "It's not what I want – it's what HE wants."

Sulu and Chekov chorused, "Baja the King!"

Scotty sighed, "Aye, the author. The Stu Drive is ready."

Kirk said, "Sulu, plot a course for Earth, Stu Factor Ten."

Sulu said, "Aye, Captain, Stu Factor Ten."

McCoy said, "Jim, this is madness! Do you have any idea how many red shirts might die?"

Spock looked up from his console and said, "Captain, one hundred thirty seven crewmembers are requesting permission to switch from red shirts to gold shirts."

Kirk raised an eyebrow and said, "We have that many red shirts?"

Spock said, "One hundred thirty eight, to be precise. Replacements arrived last week."

McCoy huffed, "Oh, just lovely! One of them doesn't know we engaged the Stu Drive. Jim, he'll be dead by the end of this story."

Scotty said, "Begging the captain's pardon but I'll keep my red shirt."

Kirk asked, "And why is that?"

Scotty said, "Have you ever wondered how tough Scotsmen are? Laddie, you're talking to the only guy in a red shirt who never dies." He opened a compartment at the engineering station, pulled out a bottle of Scotch and several shot glasses. He cheered, "Drinks all around!"

#TOS x HH#

Captain's Log, Stardate 9174.3: the Enterprise is headed to Starbase 2 for some shore leave. The ship remains in good repair but the crew is tired. After three months of exploration the crew deserves a good rest. All is well.

As Kirk looked around the bridge, he saw professionals. He knew his crew performed at the highest standards. No matter what the mission, they knew success. He returned to his mundane tasks of signing reports. In this day and age, there had to be a simpler way to acknowledge receiving and reviewing reports.

Uhura said, "Captain, I'm picking up a distress signal. It's the U.S.S. Calculus. I'm attempting to boost the signal"

"Main viewer if you can and relay coordinates to the helm," said Kirk. "Sulu, plot an intercept course."

Sulu said, "Aye, Captain. Sir! The coordinates are inside Tholian space."

"Damn," Kirk swore. "Belay that order."

Uhura said, "I have the Calculus, sir."

The main viewer activated. The image was hazy and the sound laden with static. Kirk barely made out a man in his late fifties. The ship was under duress. The man said, "Enterprise, I can barely read you. We've encountered an unusual anomaly."

Kirk said, "You're coordinates indicate you are inside Tholian territory and violating their space."

After a moment of static and haze the man's image reappeared and said, "…not our fault…pulled in against our will by the anomaly…captain…" The monitor went blank.

Uhura said, "Captain, I've lost them. I'm hailing them."

Kirk turned to Spock and asked, "What kind of ship is the Calculus?"

Spock reported, "Calculus is a Miranda class research vessel with a crew complement of four hundred fifty seven. She is equipped with extra shielding for phenomena research including decaying stars, black holes…"

Kirk interrupted, "But limited phaser power. Mister Sulu, plot an intercept course. Lieutenant Uhura, hail the Tholian Assembly and inform them we are on a rescue mission."

Kirk did not want to return to Tholian space. He remembered his last experience – something he did not want to again undergo. Yet he could not abandon Calculus to the fate of the anomaly or the Tholian Assembly. He had to do something. Sickbay was alerted to expect casualties.

Enterprise made good time but failed to establish contact with the Tholian Assembly. Either the Tholians ignored the hails or genuinely did not receive the message. Kirk hoped it was the latter, for if it were the former he could expect trouble. The Tholians had little interest in establishing peaceful relations with the Federation.

Sulu said, "Captain, we are approaching the last known position of the Calculus."

"Slow to impulse," said Kirk. He heard the familiar sounds of the warp drive engine decelerating. He turned to Spock and said, "Any sign of them?"

"Scanning," said Spock as he looked into the viewer. With his typical mechanical report he said, "I am picking up a debris field and radiation signature consistent with a starship. The debris is scattered across point seven, six, nine, eighths of a parsec."

Kirk swore, "Damn it! What the hell happened?"

Enterprise jerked unexpectedly. Spock said, "Wormhole anomaly. It is drawing us in."

Kirk said, "Evasive maneuvers. Get us the hell out of here!"

Yet the unexpected phenomena prevailed and Enterprise careened out of control, unable to escape its grip. Kirk felt a strange sensation as if time slowed. As he spoke, his words sounded unnatural. The bridge lost all power including emergency lights. Then – nothing.

When he awoke, Kirk saw other crewmen trying to recover from the incident. Someone restored power. He pulled himself up from the floor and took his chair. He saw Spock and said, "Report."

Spock said, "Captain, we were unconscious approximately three point six minutes. We exited the wormhole two point nine minutes ago. We are in the Sol System."

"Earth?"

"Affirmative," said Spock. "I am unable to locate the signal from the Federation chronometer."

Kirk said, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Spock looked at him and said, "Captain, logic suggests we experienced a time dilation."

Kirk snapped, "Damn it! When are we?"

Spock replied, "Impossible to ascertain. Data is incomplete. Scanners unable to locate known establishments within the system."

Kirk rose from his chair and walked to Spock. He said, "We're in the past."

Spock said, "A logical assumption."

Kirk heard the familiar boson's whistle and returned to his chair. He was relieve to hear Scotty's voice but relief transformed into misfortune as he took the report. The engineer estimated three days to repair the ship. Kirk listened to an exhaustive list of burnt out relays, damaged systems, and other components.

Uhura said, "Captain, I'm picking up an automated distress signal. It's coming from Earth."

Kirk said, "Earth?"

"Affirmative," said Uhura. "It's audio only and it's coded."

Kirk said, "Let's hear it."

Enterprise, this is a distress signal from the shuttlecraft Pythagoras. We have crash landed on Earth in the Fränkische Saale just outside of Saaleck Castle in a riparian district. Our damage is extensive and we are unable to lift off. We need recovery before the locals discover us. The Gregorian calendar date is September 17, 1943.

The message kept looping until Kirk directed Uhura to stop the playback. He struggled to recall his ancient history. He asked, "Spock, where is the Fränkische Saale?"

Spock replied, "The Fränkische Saale is a right bank tributary of the Main River in Bavaria, Germany, approximately one hundred twenty five kilometers long. It flows through several populated areas including Bad Königshofen, Bad Neustadt, Bad Kissingen, and Hammelburg, meeting the Main River in Gemünden am Main."

Kirk said, "Nineteen Forty Three – you realize what that means."

Spock said, "It is the second of the World Wars. The Pythagoras has crash landed inside Nazi Germany. If the Nazis appropriate that shuttlecraft, they will reverse engineer the technology."

Kirk sighed, "And history changes." Turning to Sulu he said, "Mister Sulu, plot a course to Earth."

"Aye sir," said Sulu.

Kirk said, "It's a primitive society but I don't want to take any chances of being detected by technology of the time. Lieutenant Uhura, any idea how long ago that message was created?"

Uhura replied, "Impossible to tell, sir. It hasn't suffered degradation, so we can assume sometime in the last month."

"I see," Kirk slowly said. He turned to Spock and said, "They took a chance sending that message. They suspected the anomaly might pull us in behind them."

Uhura said, "Captain, the Pythagoras stopped transmitting."

"Try and hail them," said Kirk.

After several moments, it was apparent something catastrophic happened to the Pythagoras. Without that signal, Kirk had no choice but to deploy a landing party. Kirk did not need Spock's reminder of inadvertent consequences to the timeline from the intrusion. However, his first officer stated logic dictated the advisory. Kirk understood certain practicalities. He needed persons able to speak some German in case the universal translator failed.

#TOS x HH#

The weather remained fair during the transition to fall. Hogan and his men stood casually in formation while Schultz dutifully took the count. The guard was pleasantly surprised that all prisoners stood assembled, including the correct prisoners. It was still light but the sun continued its descent below the tree line.

Schultz happily cried, "Ach! Everybody is where he is supposed to be."

"So are the frauen," teased Saunders.

Schultz apologized, "I beg your pardon, Fraulein. You are as lovely as the Weiße Rose."

Hogan said, "Schultz, you're a married man."

"Don't remind me," said Schultz.

As Klink marched out of the Kommandantur he cried, "Report!"

Schultz saluted and proudly said, "All present, Herr Kommandant."

"Very good," smiled Klink. "Hogan, I'm impressed. You and your men –"

"And the frauen," interjected Schultz.

Klink snarled, "Who asked you?" His smile returned, "You and your men have been most cooperative. It pleases me that you've accepted the situation."

Hogan playfully said, "Don't forget the frauen."

"I never forget the frauen," Klink indignantly said. "Dismissed!"

Hogan was silently grateful it was a short formation. He had a mission. Earlier, Olsen requisitioned a staff car and hid it in the woods. This mission was atypical. Hogan did not like the idea of sending out Saunders but he had his orders from London. It reminded him that another unit operated in the area, sometimes carelessly. Her participation was rarely requested or ordered by London in the ten months of her imprisonment at Stalag 13.

Often, Hogan was tempted to arrange her transfer to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. At least then he could intercept the transport vehicle and have the Underground safely away her out of Germany. He watched as Saunders made her way to Barracks 3. Her age was beginning to catch up with her. How old was she? Forty four, Hogan remembered.

"You do like her," Schultz smiled.

Hogan said, "No, I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen. Schultz, she doesn't belong here. I rather assumed the Red Cross would have done anything to get her repatriated."

Schultz sighed, "As long as the SS believes she is a spy that is not possible. At least she is here. We all look after her."

Hogan said, "I know, Schultz. See you at bed checks."

Of all the rotten luck! Why did her plane crash in his operating zone? Hogan turned around and entered Barracks 2. He saw most of the men getting ready for bed. He and Newkirk had to play the part. His mind drifted to the mission. He despised working with Collins. The man was a loose cannon.

Originally, Collins was supposed to return to England. When he successfully infiltrated the local Gestapo as a colonel with dual membership in the Gestapo and the SS, England wanted him to remain in the area as a spy. Hogan did not appreciate the man's more aggressive tactics. While the 82nd Airborne may have been the finest paratroopers, they acted as amateurs in the espionage business. He regretted the former CO's decision to send in the nurse on a mission that ultimately failed.

Schultz arrived right on schedule for bed checks. Hogan stood casually by the door leading to his room wearing his robe. The guard smiled. All present – that kept Schultz happy. As he left the barracks, Schultz turned off the lights. Hogan waited a few moments before Olsen gave the all clear. He scurried down into the tunnels and headed to the wardrobe area with Newkirk in hot pursuit.

Dressed in business attire, the two men passed as possible businessmen. As they donned their fake mustaches, Saunders arrived carrying a black pair of shoes. She wore a robe and slippers. Her hair was down, something Hogan was unaccustomed to seeing. Her face was pretty but lacked the traditional makeup she usually sported. He thought she looked better.

Hogan said, "Hurry it up, Florence."

Saunders took off the robe revealing a black evening dress and said, "I wish you wouldn't call me that. The way you say it, well, it sounds insulting to my profession." Newkirk let out a low whistle.

Hogan looked at her legs and asked, "Where did you get nylons?"

Saunders posed, "Would you believe me if I said a Red Cross package?"

Newkirk said, "That bloody Brandenburg. Boy, that Red Cross representative is sweet on you."

While Hogan did not typically maintain a large selection of women's clothing or accessories, he had enough in the tunnels to help disguise Newkirk or LeBeau on the odd missions. He watched as Saunders replaced the slippers with shoes. She quickly styled her hair. He watched as she did her makeup, choosing light powder and softer colors instead of the bright red lipstick. Then she pulled an atomizer out of her purse and began spritzing herself. Instead of the usual lavender perfume, this scent reminded Hogan of roses.

"Presentable?"

Newkirk said, "I'll say!"

Hogan said, "Come along, Monster Grimm. That is your codename again, right?"

"Don't be cruel," said Saunders as she took a ladies' evening coat off the rack. "You can always get Klink to transfer me to Ravensbruck. I love escaping from there."

Hogan snarled, "One day I just might, despite London's orders."

The three made their way to the emergency tunnel and carefully exited the tree stump. It was too early for snow but the air already had a chill. Hogan led the two to the requisitioned staff car. He pulled out the car keys from his pocket.

Saunders snatched the keys and said, "I'll drive."

Both men began laughing. Then Hogan retrieved the keys and said, "Fat chance of that happening."

Newkirk said, "Governor, how about you drive and I'll sit in the back with the bird?"

Hogan handed Newkirk the keys and smiled sardonically, "I'd rather you drive."

Newkirk muttered, "Bloody officers have all the ruddy luck."

The team was finally underway. The rough terrain of the woods was quickly replaced with the potholed dirt road. Hogan thought he was going to lose his supper until they finally made it to the highway. He looked out the window and saw a clear sky. Then he noticed something strange. Was that a falling star? A meteorite? The speck grew in size and appeared red hot. He snapped, "Stop the car!"

Newkirk stopped and Hogan immediately stepped out onto the road. His confused companions joined him. Newkirk asked, "What in the bloody hell is that? Is that an airplane?"

"No plane that I've ever seen," said Hogan.

Whatever it was, it quickly descended. They watched as it arced across the sky. They were safely away from it, but whatever it was it came in hot and fast. Then they heard a distant explosion.

Hogan said, "Looks like it crashed near the Fränkische Saale."

Newkirk said, "That's a good fifteen clicks from here."

Saunders said, "Whatever it is, we have to let it go. The Krauts will be all over it."

Hogan sighed. He hated to concede to a woman but knew she was right. It would take time to get to the site. If the pilots did not escape, they were dead. It must have been a new plane, perhaps experimental. Whether it was Allied or Axis, he could not divert from his mission to investigate.

"Back in the car," said Hogan. "We have a mission."

It bothered Hogan. He rescued pilots. He did not abandon them. The crash was too far away. If it did interest the Krauts, that meant his mission would be easier. He would not run into the Gestapo. They continued along the highway until they reached an unexpected roadblock. What caused the Krauts to check vehicles?

Newkirk spoke in his best German, "Good evening. What can we do for you tonight?'

A Wehrmacht corporal said, "You must turn around. The road is closed."

Hogan said, "Aw, but the lady had her heart set on a night of dancing!"

"Turn around," said the corporal. "You have to go around in the other direction to get to town."

Newkirk said, "Ah, pity! Well, the night is still young. Thank you for serving the Fatherland!"

"Heil Hitler," said the corporal.

"Heil Hitler," came the chorus from inside the car.

Hogan did not like delays. The car turned around and headed the wrong way. The highway did have an exit on the opposite side of town, but they would be late for their rendezvous. He thoughtfully said, "What about that old logger's road that runs through the woods?"

Newkirk said, "That'll mean we have to drive past Wagner's little camp."

"It's a chance we have to take," Hogan said. "We'll just say we got turned around and confused."

Saunders asked, "What if he recognizes us?"

Hogan said, "He's like Klink. He'll be in bed. He's not like Klink. He'll be riding around on that old plow horse of his patrolling the woods. He won't be manning any checkpoints."

"Right-o Governor," said Newkirk.

After a few moments, Newkirk turned right and headed along the old logging road. It was in surprisingly good repair, but ever since Wagner set up his training camp the former cavalryman reassigned to infantry caused issues with operations. Hogan and the Underground avoided the area.

The car screeched to a sudden stop. Hogan snapped, "Newkirk!"

Newkirk cried, "Look!"

Standing in the road amid the shine of the headlights stood a bloodied man in strange attire. He seemed dumbfounded. The three exited the car. The man looked at them and said in English, "Where am I?"

Hogan said, "Germany, fellow. Come on. We have to get out of here." He and Saunders helped the man into the back of the car. Newkirk turned the car around. Saunders did not have her medical kit but started ripping strips of cloth from her hemline.

"You're very kind," said the strange man, spoken as if he were in a haze. "Will you take me to Starfleet Command?"

Saunders looked at Hogan and said, "Head trauma."

Hogan said, "The mission is a scrub. Newkirk, get us back to camp."

Saunders said, "We'll take care of you. What's your name?"

The man looked at her and said, "Lieutenant Arnold Carlisle. You're very pretty."

Hogan asked, "What was your mission?"

Carlisle said, "The star was going supernova. We watched. We were in the shuttle. Something – happened. Calculus exploded. Strange phenomenon. The Tholians. Pythagoras tried escaping. We failed. NOMAD!" He slumped over and Hogan sat him up again. He saw the eyes staring blankly.

Saunders checked for a pulse and said, "He's dead, Colonel."

Hogan said, "Damn."

Newkirk said, "It's rotten luck."

Hogan did not understand the strange explanation but the man said we. There were others. Then he noticed the local infantry on the move in the woods and heard Wagner's shouts. Great, the cavalryman mobilized. He snapped, "Get us the hell out of here!"

For a moment, Hogan thought they would not escape Wagner's clutches. He realized the infantry headed towards the river. He breathed a sigh of relief once they made it to the road leading to Stalag 13. He had a dead man to take care of. He said nothing to Newkirk, but the corporal understood.

The car stopped at Hogan's unofficial and unwanted cemetery. He had two men in the ground and now needed to add a third. He looked in the trunk of the car for a shovel but found none. He said, "Newkirk, wait here. I'll get Florence home and come back with some help."

Saunders said, "My name is Maria, not Florence."

Hogan said, "Whatever you say, Miss Nightingale." He was accustomed to the rolling eyes. He continued, "Let's not argue. This man needs a burial. Come on."

The pair trekked through the woods silently. So far, the night proved disastrous. He was going to miss his rendezvous with the Underground. As it was an Airborne matter, he expected Collins to show up and complain incessantly. He witnessed a strange phenomenon. He picked up an injured man who immediately died.

At least the camp looked normal. The two descended into the tunnel. In the dim lights, Hogan noticed Saunders had bloody hands. He was about to say something but she said it was not her blood. Kinchloe ran towards the two.

Hogan said, "The mission is a scrub."

Kinchloe said, "I kind of figured that. Little John tried calling it off. It seems the Krauts are boasting they shot down an unidentified flying object. They're searching all over creation for it."

Hogan said, "I need a couple of volunteers and shovels. Whatever it was, one of the pilots was American. We picked him up but he died in the car."

"Damn," said Kinchloe. "Alright, I'll grab a couple of the guys."

Hogan turned to Saunders and said, "You may as well clean up and go to bed." The nurse shook her head and started walking down the tunnel. Hogan looked at Kinchloe and said, "I don't think the Krauts shot it down. In any event, it must be some type of experimental craft. The survivor said we so I'm guessing there are others."

Kinchloe asked, "Dare we send out a search team?"

"Too risky," said Hogan. "Wagner's mobilized his men and we were stopped by a different unit at a roadblock. Whoever they are, I hope they manage to get out of there."